Kidney Stone Treatment in Land O Lakes, FL

“Kidney stones” is the casual term given to the medical condition renal lithiasis. Kidney stones can range anywhere from asymptomatic to very painful. Many people struggle with the repeat formation of kidney stones, and passing them can be difficult.

Kidney Stone Symptoms

No two kidney stones are exactly alike. When a kidney stone forms, it can range in size and shape. Most kidney stone symptoms occur when the stone grows large enough to obstruct the urinary system or kidney.

The most common kidney stone symptoms include:

Pain in the lower back or side

Painful urination (dysuria)

Discolored urine

Vomiting

Nausea

Frequent urination

Inability to urinate

Fever

Blood in urine

Many kidney stone symptoms come and go in what is known as a kidney stone attack. This is caused by the stone itself shifting or moving in the body.

Kidney Stone Causes

A kidney stone is essentially a crystal that forms in the kidney. This crystal, known as a stone, can be comprised of many different substances including calcium, uric acid, nitrates and oxalates.

There is no one reason why a kidney stone forms, but there are many different risk factors that make a person likely to get one. Some kidney stone causes include:

Men are more likely than women to develop kidney stones with obese
people from either gender facing the highest risk. Kidney stones in children are very rare, but do occur.

Kidney Stone Treatment

There are many different kidney stone treatments available. These treatments vary based on the size of the kidney stone and the individual patient. For a small kidney stone with few symptoms, treatment may include:

Increasing water intake in order to break up and pass the stone through urination.

Prescription medications such as muscle relaxers or alpha blockers to help pass the stone with less pain.

Over-the-counter pain medications to mitigate symptoms until the stone has passed.

More severe, larger kidney stones require more intense treatment. Options for a large or very painful stone include:

Sonic shock wave therapy, utilized to break up a large kidney stone in to smaller pieces.

Open surgery to manually remove a kidney stone too large to pass from the body.

Insertion of a scope through the urethra to break up the kidney stone, typically combined with a urethral stent.